Looking at the dazzling array of magical ingredients inside the storeroom, Altair had to admit that the collection here was even more complete than the stockrooms of some shops in Knockturn Alley.
Snape was, after all, one of the wizarding world's most renowned Potions masters. He had even collected many top-grade potion ingredients that were already extinct in the wider magical world.
Altair did not hold back.
Everything his eyes landed on, he swept straight into his System space.
Once he was sure he had not missed anything, Altair cast Scourgify and several other cleaning spells over the storeroom, wiping away every trace of himself, footprints, lingering scent, and anything else that might be left behind.
After all, he remembered that Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald had shown the existence of tracking magic, spells that could reveal footprints or even follow traces from things like loose hairs and skin flakes. Better to be cautious.
This time, he had truly emptied Snape's private stores.
This Potions master had spent years building up his collection. Not all of it had necessarily been kept in this storeroom, but without question, the vast majority of it had been.
Snape probably never would have imagined that someone could loot most of his life's collection inside Hogwarts, supposedly the safest place in the world.
"Sorry, Professor Snape."
Altair quietly opened the door to Snape's office and slipped out in a flash.
He did feel a little guilty, but raising an Uruk-hai army really did require an enormous amount of magical material. Even after looting Knockturn Alley, he had only managed to gather a small portion of what he needed.
"At worst, I'll help Snape kill Voldemort later. Then he won't have to die."
Thinking that way made Altair feel considerably better.
He returned to the entrance of the Slytherin common room and waited for a while before finding a chance to slip back in. After returning to his dormitory, Altair removed the One Ring, checked the time, and headed off to the Great Hall for lunch.
...
That afternoon, according to some of the older students, Professor Snape had failed to appear for class, which was apparently a very rare occurrence.
Then, somehow, rumors began spreading through the castle. People said someone had seen Professor Snape in a corridor, laughing and crying at the same time, muttering to himself, sometimes murmuring in a low voice, sometimes erupting into hysterical shouting. In any case, he did not seem normal.
When Altair heard the news, his expression did not change, though inwardly he began to wonder.
Had he gone too far?
Could it be that Snape really could not take the blow and had actually gone mad?
At dinner that evening, Dumbledore announced in the Great Hall that Snape had fallen ill. Since they could not find a suitable replacement professor at short notice, Potions would temporarily be taught by Professor Sprout.
Sprout was, of course, the Herbology professor and the Head of Hufflepuff, a short, plump witch. She clearly understood Potions well enough, so there was no major issue with her filling in.
Not only that, Professor McGonagall also announced that all students from third year upward would be called one by one to answer questions under the supervision of their House prefects and their Heads. In Slytherin's case, because Snape was in the hospital wing, Dumbledore himself would handle it directly.
The older students had no idea what was going on, and one by one they became visibly anxious.
Harry and Ron, on the other hand, seemed delighted. The horrible Snape was ill, which meant nobody would be around to dock points from them in Potions anymore.
Altair continued to wear his detached, uninvolved expression, despite the fact that he was the true cause of the whole affair.
The school investigated several times over, but still could not discover who had stolen Snape's collection. The Weasley twins were initially one of the main suspects, but even after Professor McGonagall questioned them repeatedly, she found nothing.
That left McGonagall both relieved and even more confused.
Eventually, even the first- and second-year students were added to the list of those being questioned.
And Altair, naturally, was questioned by Dumbledore as well.
This was the first time Altair had ever come face to face with Dumbledore alone, at such close range.
Though Dumbledore was a master of Legilimency, Altair was not afraid. Deep within his soul was the One Ring, the divine artifact painstakingly forged by the Maia Sauron to conquer the world. With the One Ring there, Dumbledore would not be able to read Altair's true thoughts.
In fact, there was a fair chance the One Ring might deceive him instead.
After all, if Dumbledore could not read Altair's mind at all, that might only make him suspicious. So the One Ring would probably allow him to read false thoughts instead.
Things like caring for classmates, respecting teachers, benefiting society, maintaining world peace, upholding fairness and justice, and so on.
And that was indeed what happened.
While Dumbledore spoke with Altair, he kept watching his eyes. Dumbledore's gaze was gentle, yet full of wisdom.
After talking with him for a while, Dumbledore smiled kindly and let him leave.
Watching Altair walk away, Dumbledore even nodded to himself and murmured things like what a good child he was.
"What did Headmaster Dumbledore ask you? Was it the same questions as mine, where you were around ten o'clock today, where you went, and who you were with?"
Back in the Great Hall, Hermione leaned close to Altair and asked in a low voice.
Altair nodded and replied, "Yes. Professor McGonagall asked you the same things? Then something important must have happened around that time."
"That's right. But I was in the library then, with my dormmate."
Hermione answered, then glanced at Harry across from them and lowered her voice even further.
"Harry says it was that thing, the thing Hagrid took out of Gringotts. He thinks it was stolen at Hogwarts."
"Maybe. But I think it might have more to do with Professor Snape falling ill."
Altair glanced toward the empty seat at the professors' table and offered a silent prayer for Professor Snape.
Hermione followed his gaze, then nodded in agreement.
"I think so too."